When I was pregnant I was a mess – No idea what what the best items nor any idea about breastfeeding. I know I wanted to do it but no idea how. I had challenges to doing so and became overwhelmed to the point I wanted to exclusively pump before my daughter was even born. I tried but little one just couldn’t get it and I was having melt down after melt down. So I went to exclusive pumping which is perfect for me and many other moms out there. Pumping gave fiance more time to bond over feedings and I got time to nap or sleep in instead of waking to feed. It was wonderful.
I did a lot of research and came upon items that helped me so much during my months of breastfeeding and year of exclusive pumping. I feel like almost a expert but I did not make it to exactly a year pumping. I’m excited to stand behind these products because they worked great for me and might do so for you as well! My daughter is almost 2 and below are the items I fell in love with! For more products try checking out the top baby items on Amazon and go through the reviews – Cause thats what I did.
UpSpring Milkflow Blessed Thistle Capsules is a dietary supplement I started to take when I wanted to exclusively pump to help get as much as I could from my girls. Yeah, I became a cow and still laugh about it now. Only 2-3 capsules of these easy to swallow, fenugreek blessed thistle capsules per day deliver a concentrated blend of Fenugreek seed extract, and other herbs, at recommended levels to increase breastmilk supply for nursing moms.
Fenugreek is the most popular herbal remedy for breastfeeding mothers. Historically, Fenugreek and other herbal remedies have been safely used around the world by millions of women to improve milk production and increase breastmilk. Milkflow also contains Blessed Thistle, an herb with breastmilk-enhancing properties that, when combined with Fenugreek, appears to synergistically boost the desired effects. Some women report that Fenugreek capsules taken along with Blessed Thistle eliminate the mild stomach upset experienced with taking Fenugreek alone.
However, Fenugreek does not work for many breastfeeding moms so take this with caution! There is a 50/50 chance that it could or could not work for anyone. It worked for a short time for me but when i did first start taking it this stuff made my flow bigger to the point I was hurting. yet, after a month or so it leveled right back down so use this product as a small enhancer and take occasionally.
Medela Breast Milk Storage Bags is one of the many bags I used to store milk and one of the few that I loved. A little on the expensive side but cheaper than a few counterparts. I loved how these bags fit into the freezers, easy to store and use. I did have issues at first using them but it was user error from being so tired. These are Hygienically pre-sealed with durable material and double-zipper protection to prevent leaking. These bags safely store breastmilk in the freezer, fridge, or when traveling.
The Medela breastmilk storage bags have been designed to be self-standing and come with a large write-on area. This allows you to document the date and other vital information for safer storage and use. Also, the Medela Breast Milk large 6-ounce Storage Bags have been designed to lay flat for space-saving storage. This unique feature allows quick thawing of frozen milk when your baby is hungry. To help you keep these breastmilk storage bags clean and organized, we’ve added a bonus resealable transport pouch that keeps unused bags organized and clean.
Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk Women’s Tea is caffeine free tea that did not taste too bad at all and helped me with lactation. It wasn’t a quick result but I did see an increase when I wanted it. Not something I would drink a bunch but at least once a day in the evening. Sometimes the bitterness was too much and I would add agave nectar or honey to it which was perfect. Every day I went from only producing 2 oz to making 6 oz which had me over producing within two months. I was excited and of course I wanted to tell everyone I could! This was the tea that I didn’t stop until I was done with pumping due to mental issues with it and would happily drink it again!
Disclaimer: Do not use this product if you are allergic to plants in the parsley (Apiaceae) family, such as fennel or coriander, or plants within the daisy (Asteraceae) family such as chamomile, echinacea or blessed thistle. If pregnant or breastfeeding, please consult your lactation consultant, midwife or healthcare practitioner prior to use. . This product is labelled to United States standards and may differ from similar products sold elsewhere in its ingredients, labeling and allergen warnings
Medela Easy Expression Hands Free Pumping Bra makes pumping easy as pie! In fact most hands free pumping bra was the way to go if you want to do anything other than holding up those things to your body. It got old fast! But this one was adaptable to me, and easy to put on. However, the holes are small! They will only fit Medela brand from what I could gather – And thats what most of my pumping supplies were in. Then the girls size was big, and I got a Large – It was almost too tight although the size guide said it was the correct size. I got one later in the XL but was too loose and the flanges did not hold up well. Needless to say I got rid of them later on once I found more. It could be hard at times to put on and could be uncomfortable at times – but I had almost nothing to compare it to until I got targets version – I loved them but they did not hold them like this did.
When I had enough of the Medela and invested in quality pumping, nursing bras I did and this one by far won my heart – Too bad Motherhood store in the malls have gone out of business or I be recommending their nightgowns!
Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping, Nursing & Maternity Bra makes me feel as if I am wearing a “normal” bra without having to deal with uncomfortable underwires and with having the ability to use the clips to nurse whenever I need to. This bra is comfortable enough for all day wear and I even forgot to take it off before bed and was fine wearing it overnight! I haven’t used the pumping feature yet but I have no doubt with the quality and structure of the bra it will be perfect! I still wear it and I been done with breast feeding/pumping for almost a year. It is that comfortable!
Of course lastly all the lotions and baths. Loved my me time but disliked all the cracked nips so I invested in the following item to which I love!
Medela Contact Nipple Shield for Breastfeeding is the must have for cracked, inverted, flat, overactive letdown, sore nipples and latch difficulties. When I was trying to breast feed this was my bread and butter for every issue I was facing before I gave up breast feeding. It made breast feeding easier and helped saved it when I wanted to give up within the first month after my daughter was born. Although it does have it draw backs such as one more thing to remember to pack, have to be sterilized and can fall off easily especially with a hungry grabby baby. I got lax on the sterilization but would clean it the best I could along with buying more so I did not have to worry about having a clean on. I tried the other brands and this one was my favorite as it held to the breast and the silicon was softer which I preferred. However, this also became one of the reasons I gave it up due to latch issues with my daughter and nipple issues besides soreness as I had inverted girls that was essentially flat. Over time the inverted has come out but nothing as a normal breast.
The other item I loved during breast feeding and Pumping times is SoftShells Breast Shells for Sore Nipples for Pumping or Breastfeeding.
SoftShells Breast Shells for Sore Nipples for Pumping or Breastfeeding is a discreet item to help with soreness between feedings or pumping. I felt they were not exactly discreet and were slightly uncomfortable although they did as they promised. I actually bought this before I gave birth to help with the soreness as my colostrum was coming in – Also realized I could save the colostrum to feed Tiny once she was born with this. Many other moms did or was doing this and I decided to try it. I saved so much I didn’t have to worry about my milk not coming in until I was about to go home three days after she was born. Of course I was pumping and trying to breast feed but this helped relieve some pressure! I wanted to exclusively pump before I left the hospital but the lactation nurse and a few nurses did not like htis idea. I had a melt down in the hospital from forcing me to breast feed and made me feel so insecure over it. I’m glad I stopped trying one month after because I just couldn’t do it. But these things were perfect – I might not have them now but once I’m expecting again this is something I want to get again!
And of course speaking of leakage! Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads was where it is at! It helped me from waking up in a POOL of breastmilk or the random leakage. It was embarresing especially if I did not notice it and I didn’t remember to put in a nursing pad. I tried many different nursing pads but Bamboobies Reusable Nursing Pads was my favorite. They were soft, stuck in place and was reliable. At first, the upfront cost may seem frightening. This is what initially kept me from trying these with my first baby. However, if these do work well, as they do for me, then in the long run they will be cheaper than buying box after box of disposables.
Least Favorite that I will not be linking to product:
Medela Quick Clean Breast Pump and Accessory Wipes are a necessity for pumping on the go like when your at work, out shopping without the baby or whatever you are doing but can’t go clean them right away. This makes a quick clean up a breeze and even picks up the hard to get off things that just rinsing it with water and a light wash does not get. These hygienic wipes are engineered to clean quickly and efficiently. One wipe cleans breast shields, valves, and membranes and can be used anywhere and at any time – no water needed which is a lifesaver. These can also clean more than just breast pumps such as cleaning changing tables, high chairs, cribs, countertops, toys, and more that a baby can come into contact with or is baby-related.
However, these although worked wonderfully the ingredients are not safe. It left residue which I noticed many times and because of my research I did not use the one package for anything that came around food that Tiny would touch or eat. I ended up only using it on changing tables, cribs and anything i knew without worry that Tiny would not put her mouth on and there was not much.. Before I knew it the faint hint a smell that seemed familiar that I haven’t smelled in awhile – like cleaning chemical that was used in a gym like one I used to work out at…
It took me longer than I want to admit to research the ingredients and this is what I found:
Octyl Decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.03990 Dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.01995 Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.01995 Alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C16) dimethyl benzyl Ammonium Chloride 0.05320 Inert Ingredients 99.86700
“Quats are efficient at ‘sticking’ or adhering to surfaces and substrates. This means they leave a residue that’s potentially harmful to the health and the environment. “
“The other thing is that quats will linger on a surface long after you have cleaned with them. This means that your exposure (and your kids’ exposure, and your pet’s exposure) continues every time you touch that countertop. In the mice experiments I mentioned above, it took months of re-sanitizing the animal cages that had originally been cleaned with quats until the mice were reproducing normally again. Yikes. Again there is a reason that disinfectant wipes with quats also RECOMMEND AGAINST USING THEM ON ANY FOOD-CONTACT SURFACES (like cutting boards, plates or cutlery, high chair trays etc.) BECAUSE THESE POTENT CHEMICALS CAN CONTAMINATE THE FOOD THEY COME INTO CONTACT WITH, EVEN WELL AFTER CLEANING IS DONE.”
Alex Scranton
Director of Science and Research
Kri
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